‘Janice,’ he said. ‘My first wife – her name was Janice. She died of breast cancer. I went off the rails. Alcohol mostly. But I had these fits of rage.’ He shook his head. ‘I was angry. I thought – why her? Why anybody? It made me a violent man. On the job, I mean. On our job, Detective. There was a crew of little hoodies on Lewisham High Street, mugging the old white ladies for their cat-food money. I got hold of one of these little hoodies.’ His voice became very quiet at the memory. ‘And I nearly killed him,’ he said.

Edie was waiting for me on the street. I nodded at her, afraid to move or speak in case it stopped Sergeant Jenkins from speaking.

‘One of my colleagues knew about Ginger Gonzalez. This is years back, when Ginger was fresh off the banana boat. I met her in a pub. I think her business – Sampaguita is the name of her business, right? – was not quite so upmarket back in the day. She wasn’t operating out of the big five-star hotels in those days. This is long before the Savoy and the Ritz and Claridges. She met men in pubs. Same deal – Ginger made the introductions. But she took what she could get. Even serving police officers. So a date was set up for me and one of Ginger’s girls.’

‘And that was Asuman,’ I said. ‘That was Ash.’

‘She wanted to be a nurse. She wanted a decent life. She wanted to take a different road from the one she was on.’ He looked at me and for the first time I felt that there was no possibility of us ending up punching each other. ‘I made it happen,’ he said. ‘That new life.’

‘One date and then you rescued her.’

He looked at me.

‘I’m not sneering at you,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’

As I turned away I felt a powerful hand on my arm.

‘Look in the Champagne Room,’ he said. ‘I know those bastards are still out there. And look at those service stations where the motorways meet. Where London ends and the country begins. It hasn’t changed in ten years, you know. The whole rotten business just gets bigger and bigger. The whole world wants to come here. And they’ll do anything to get in.’

I thanked him and I watched him go inside his house.

Then Edie and I drove away from the street of filthy net curtains.

‘So are you and me going to check out this club?’ Edie said. ‘The Champagne Room, toast of the M25, the hottest spot north of London Gateway service station?’

She was grinning. I didn’t smile back.

‘No,’ I said. ‘It’s better if I go with Billy.’

Silence.

‘Why are you angry with me?’ she said. ‘Because I’m pregnant? What’s it got to do with you, Max?’